An Anniversary Surprise
by Kristen3
Summary: Knowing how Niles misses his older brother, Daphne arranges an unforgettable anniversary dinner for two, in a place that will always be special to them. One-shot. Written as a gift for Pat (Pat2Trivia4Me), inspired by his "Suppressed Niles."


**Author's Note: **This is a slightly late Christmas present to Pat (**Pat2Trivia4Me**), whose story, "Suppressed Niles" planted the seed for this. Thanks for giving me permission to use your idea, Pat!

Daphne couldn't believe her plan for her second wedding anniversary had come together so well. She knew Niles deserved something special, but she had no idea what to do, until she'd mentioned her dilemma in passing during a therapy session with Martin. "Too bad you can't take him back to the days when he was head-over-heels for you. Boy, I never saw Niles' face light up til I saw you come in the room. I'll never forget that, Daph."

The old man's words had made her smile. She knew Niles missed his brother a great deal. Frasier had left for Chicago months ago, right after David was born. The family had been very careful not to dwell on the fact that someone was missing, but it was impossible to ignore. From those thoughts, an idea began to take shape. It had taken several phone calls, but what Daphne had thought would be a long shot at best turned out to be far easier than she'd expected. First, she'd called the owners of Elliot Bay Towers to ask if there was a vacant apartment she could use for a night. When she explained who she was and what she wanted it for, Daphne was informed that there were several empty apartments, and 1901 was one of them!

This was nearly too good to be true. Now she had the perfect setting, but she would still need some furniture to make it complete. Daphne went online and found a used sofa that she could buy for a reasonable price. It wasn't an exact replica, but she knew it didn't matter. Martin was more than willing to let Daphne borrow his green chair for an evening, so at least the most important object in Frasier's apartment would be in its rightful place.

With the couch and chair in their places, Daphne had to admit it was as if Frasier had never even left. She could still remember that night when everyone had said their goodbyes. Daphne quickly forced herself to snap out of it. The point of this evening was to remember the _good_ times she and Niles had had here. Even though she'd only bothered to furnish the living room, Daphne couldn't resist looking around at the other areas in this apartment. When she reached the doorway to Frasier's study, Daphne vividly recalled those years when this room had been hers. Sure, life in this house had been far from perfect, but she wouldn't trade any of it. She then took care of one last detail, calling the five-star restaurant and confirming they were coming here tonight with a gourmet meal for two. Once that was done, there was nothing to do but wait for Niles to get home and see the note she'd left him.

Niles couldn't wait to get home. Daphne had been acting secretive for the past few days, and he knew it had to have something to do with their anniversary. Though he was curious what she had up her sleeve, he pretended not to notice anything. For his part, Niles had bought an exquisite pair of earrings which he'd seen Daphne admire many times at the jewelry store. He was grateful the salesman had let him know there was a necklace to match. The price would be more than worth it to see Daphne gasp in surprise. When he entered his apartment at the Montana, Niles was more than a little confused when he discovered the place was empty. But then he saw the card sitting on the dining table, with the word _Niles_ written on it in his wife's beautiful handwriting.

_Darling_,

_David is spending the night with Aunt Roz. Meet me at the place where you first fell in love with me, and wear your tuxedo. I'll be waiting. _

_Love,_

_Daphne_

"The place where you first fell in love with me"? Niles read the sentence over again. He knew without a doubt that he'd fallen for Daphne from the moment he first saw her folding his brother's laundry. He'd told her so numerous times. But why would she be mentioning this now? Niles shook his head as he went to get ready. The only explanation he could come up with was that Daphne had thought it would be cute to meet in front of the building before going off to some fancy restaurant.

Niles frowned when he arrived at Elliot Bay towers and didn't see her standing there waiting for him. Now more confused than ever, Niles had no choice but to go inside. As soon as he entered the lobby, the doorman greeted him. "Hello, Dr. Crane. Haven't seen you around here since your brother moved."

"I know. But I got a strange note from my wife telling me to meet her at the place where I first fell in love with her. But she can't mean Frasier's apartment, can she?"

A smile appeared on the doorman's face. "Why don't you go up there and see?"

The answer made Niles' heart skip a beat. What on earth was Daphne planning? He got in the elevator. As he rode the nineteen floors up, Niles thought about how many thousands of times he'd done this. It was as if time had stopped somehow. When the elevator doors opened, Niles crossed the familiar hallway and rang the bell.

"Hello, Dr. Crane," Daphne said when she answered the door. She said the words as she always had, but there was a glow in her eyes that was different.

Niles could hardly believe what he saw. Daphne stood in front of him, wearing a beautiful red sequined gown. It wasn't the one she'd worn to the Snow Ball, but it didn't matter. It got the point across. Once he stopped admiring his wife, he began to notice the rest of the room. He nearly had to pinch himself. If he didn't know better, he might think he'd stepped back in time. "How...how did you ever do this?" Niles asked in disbelief.

Daphne smiled, kissing him. "Well, it seems that the people your brother paid rent to for eleven years still remember him quite well. I know how much you miss him, and I thought this might help. I thought about going to visit him in Chicago, but I wanted this to be _our_ night. You're not disappointed, are you?"

"Not at all!" Niles replied. "I can't believe you went to this much trouble. Thank you, Daphne." He kissed her. Now that the shock had worn off, this kiss was far longer than the one Daphne had given him a moment ago. "I love you so much. I never thought I'd get a chance to tell you this here, in the place where we got to know each other over all those years."

"I was walking around here earlier, and it all brought back so many memories. Remember when I caught you and your brother in me room?"

Niles nodded. "How about the time I nearly destroyed this place getting ready for a date?"

Daphne smiled as she recalled the sight she'd come home to that night: fire-extinguisher foam everywhere, Frasier's couch nearly turned to ashes, and a distinctive smell of smoke in the air.

For the next hour, Niles and Daphne reminisced. They'd had eleven years of memories here, and it was as if they had all happened yesterday. They were still laughing over the misunderstanding the first time Niles had attempted to ask Daphne on a date when the doorbell rang.

Niles turned to his wife in confusion. "Who knows we're here?"

"Why don't you answer the door and find out?" Daphne asked with a grin.

Niles did as she'd asked. He was astonished by the sight of a waiter from Chez Henri with a cart. "Dinner for two, sir." The waiter wheeled the cart in as Niles watched in amazement. "Where would you like this?"

"Out there," Daphne replied, pointing. Only then did Niles notice the table out on the balcony. He couldn't imagine a more romantic setting.

"As you wish, ma'am. I'll have it ready for you in a moment."

"Dinner on the balcony?" Niles asked, turning to Daphne.

"Well, I thought that it was appropriate, considering we made a few memories out there, too." Daphne grinned.

"We did, didn't we?" Niles asked, kissing her once more.

Their moment was broken by the waiter. "Dinner is served."

"Shall we go?" Niles linked his elbow with Daphne's.

"Yes, of course. You're such a gentleman."

"Well, it's hard not to be one around a beautiful woman like you." Niles carefully walked her over to the balcony. The view of the Space Needle was even better than he'd remembered it. Niles froze for a moment, just taking it all in. It was still surreal to think that he was here again. The thought that Daphne had cared enough to bring all of this back for him was touching beyond words.

"Darling, are you all right?" Daphne asked, wondering why Niles was staring into space.

Niles turned to her, smiling. He could feel happy tears in his eyes as he spoke. "Yes, Daphne, I am. I've just been thinking over all we've been through together. For so many years, I dreamed of being able to hold you and love you the way you deserved to be loved. The path that led to that dream finally coming true was not as direct was I would've liked, but now here we are. I have you in my life, as well as the most amazing son a father could ever want. I don't know how I can never repay you for all you've done for me."

Daphne kissed him. "You don't owe me a thing. Being a mum is much harder than I ever thought it would be, but I know it would be nearly impossible to do everything on my own. We're a team, and I couldn't be happier than I am right now."

Finally, Niles realized they had better sit down to eat before their meal got cold. Niles' life hadn't been the same since Frasier left. The void created by his brother's departure would never be completely filled, no matter how he tried. But right now, that emptiness didn't hurt so much. He had Daphne, and a lifetime of wonderful memories that he would always treasure. What more could a man possibly want?

**The End**


End file.
